It is the process of thinking up and writing down a set of questions that you want
to answer about the research topic you have selected.

Why should I do it?

It will keep you from getting lost or off-track when looking for information. You
will try to find the answers to these questions when you do your research.

When do I do it?

After you have written your
statement of purpose, when you will have a focused topic to ask questions
about.

How do I do it?

You will be making two lists of questions. One for "factual" questions and one for
"interpretive" questions. The answers to factual questions will give your reader
the basic background information they need to understand your topic. The answers
to interpretive questions show your creative thinking in your project and can become
the basis for your
thesis statement.

Asking factual questions:

Assume your reader knows nothing about your subject. Make an effort to tell them
everything they need to know to understand what you will say in your project.

Make a list of specific questions that ask : Who? What? When? Where?

Example: For a report about President Abraham Lincoln's attitude
and policies towards slavery, people will have to know; Who was Abraham Lincoln?
Where and when was he born? What political party did he belong to? When was he elected
president? What were the attitudes and laws about slavery during his lifetime? How
did his actions affect slavery?

Asking Interpretive Questions:

These kinds of questions are the result of your own original thinking. They can
be based on the preliminary research you have done on your chosen topic. Select
one or two to answer in your presentation. They can be the basis of forming a thesis statement.

A. Hypothetical: How would things be different today if something
in the past had been different?

Example: How would our lives be different today if the Confederate
(southern) states had won the United States Civil War? What would have happened
to the course of World War Two if the Atomic Bomb hadn't been dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki?

B. Prediction: How will something look or be in the future, based
on the way it is now?

Example: What will happen to sea levels if global warming due to
ozone layer depletion continues and the polar caps melt significantly? If the population
of China continues to grow at the current rate for the next fifty years, how will
that impact its role in world politics?

C. Solution: What solutions can be offered to a problem that exists
today?

Example: How could global warming be stopped? What can be done
to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers?

D. Comparison or Analogy: Find the similarities and differences
between your main subject and a similar subject, or with another subject in the
same time period or place.

Example: In what ways is the Civil War in the former Yugoslavia
similar to (or different from) the United States Civil War?
What is the difference in performance between a Porsche and a Lamborghini?

E. Judgment: Based on the information you find, what can you say
as your informed opinion about the subject?

Example: How does tobacco advertising affect teen cigarette smoking?
What are the major causes of eating disorders among young women? How does teen parenthood
affect the future lives of young women and men?